SDF Troops Patrol Tokyo’s Urban Jungle, ‘Peacefulness’ Slips

In the latest sign of Japan’s military breaking out of its long-time self-imposed shell, about 20 uniformed, rifle-carrying soldiers, faces smeared with camouflage paint, marched through Tokyo’s western neighborhoods of Nerima and Itabashi Tuesday morning as part of a training mission. It was the first time in 42 years that Japanese troops openly marched through the capital, according to a spokesman for the Ground Self-Defense Forces.